


Without You Here

by MsWriterPerson



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Galaxy Garrison, M/M, Memories, Pre-Kerberos Mission
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2019-03-26 08:02:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13853481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsWriterPerson/pseuds/MsWriterPerson
Summary: Keith struggles to deal with the disappearance of Shiro.





	Without You Here

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired (a bit) by the lovely creators at the ECCC Voltron Panel!

Keith stared blankly at the television screen, unable to process what was displayed. The newswoman read the story with a distant, empty, sympathetic voice. “The crew of the Kerberos mission have been declared dead after an apparent pilot error caused their ship to crash. Crew members included Dr. Samuel Holt, Matthew Holt, and Takashi Shirogane. Further investigations are being conducted on the cause and future prevention of crashes.” It just didn’t seem real. Keith fell to his knees, as the picture of Shiro flashed on the screen, his proud, confident face beaming back at him. This couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be real. 

_“Hey, are you alright?” Keith felt a gentle but firm hand rocking his shoulders, waking him. Still half-asleep, his eyes wandered up to see a tall, muscular man watching him with concern. His deep onyx eyes were direct and kind, and glittered in the faint light of the library. “I was worried you passed out. I definitely don’t recommend napping here, the chairs will leave your legs feeling numb.” Keith chuckled to himself, wondering if this guy was speaking from experience. “What were you reading, anyway?” The man looked at the book cradling Keith’s head. “Space exploration? You want to go to space? Me too.”_

The usual noise in the halls was silenced, everyone in shock from the news report. Keith stared down at the floor, letting his legs drift him down the hall aimlessly. Hushed whispers echoed in the corridor, as the other students eyed Keith with suspicions and curiosity. “Hey, wasn’t Shirogane one of the best pilots in the Garrison?” One whispered. “Can’t believe he’d actually crash. Wasn’t he always hanging out with that Keith kid? Maybe he knows something, like what if Shiro had been cheating in the simulators to go on the mission? I mean, he broke the test score records, and crashed? It doesn’t add up…”

_“Keith, congrats on making it in the Garrison!” Shiro ruffled Keith’s hair, grinning from ear to ear. Keith smirked down at the acceptance letter in his hands. He had worried for so long about the written exam, but Shiro had stayed up with him for weeks helping him study. Keith glanced over at Shiro, eyeing his uniform. Soon he’d be wearing one just like it…_

Keith had found himself out in the holding deck, far away from all the prying eyes and rumors. The calming silence was a relief, as Keith let himself wander over to Shiro’s red hover-bike, quietly collecting dust in the far corner. Keith ran his hand across the metal, wiping off the dust as his sad reflection stared back at him. Keith reached out to the dash, to the hidden compartment Shiro had shown him. The keys still sat there, patiently waiting for their owner. Keith hesitated, but grabbed the keys and started the engine.

_“Keith, a hover-bike is great solo practice for piloting.” Shiro instructed, guiding Keith around the new, bright red, hover-bike. “You have to pay attention to your height and speed, along with your surroundings and engines. One bad move and you’ll find yourself in a nasty wreck.” Shiro tossed Keith a helmet, it’s color the same as the bike’s. “Safety first. Let’s take it for a spin, and see how well you do.” Shiro smiled, putting on a matching black helmet._

The night-time breeze rushed against Keith’s hands as he gripped the familiar handled, increasing his speed. How many times had he been out riding with Shiro? He could still hear the faint echo of Shiro screaming at him to slow down. Keith’s eyes burned as he fought off tear of impeding his view, speeding up again. He could almost hear Shiro telling him not to be reckless, not to push the engine too far, to be careful. But in the end, all he could hear was the loud roar of the engine. 

_“Keith, I heard you got into a fight with your team in the simulator today.” Shiro stared down at Keith, who was hiding away in the holding deck, fidgeting with his badge. “I know it’s hard to get along with everyone, but you’re going to have to try if you want to make it to space one day. No one can make it to space by themselves.” Keith slid down, refusing to look at Shiro. Shiro rustled Keith’s hair. “If you get your act together, who knows? Maybe one day you’ll be my co-pilot.”_

Keith pulled open the shack door, making his way inside. It was just like he left it, old and dusty. It was so small and dark, devoid of any warmth. This was Keith’s life before Shiro, living alone out of the way, never wanting to be or do anything more. Shiro was the one who had opened up the world to him, who believed that he could go farther than any man before. Keith sat on the bed as it creaked with age, falling back onto it with nostalgic apathy. What was he supposed to do now? Without Shiro, was there any point to any of this? Keith curled up into a ball, letting his tears flow quietly in the silence.

_“Keith, I’m going to be on the Kerberos mission.” Shiro announced bluntly. “I didn’t think they’d actually pick me, but apparently Commander Holt was really impressed with my results in the simulator.” Shiro’s voice was lined with worry. “It’s a two year mission, so you’ll have to graduate when I’m gone, okay?” He tried to perk his voice up to sound encouraging, but Keith just frowned, his eyes fixed at the floor. “Keith, I did get you something though, to help out when I’m gone.” Shiro threw a small box towards Keith, as Keith reflexively caught it. Keith made a confused face as he opened the box, revealing a set of leather fingerless gloves. “You said driving the hover-bike made your hands blister, right? So I thought these would be good. I’ll leave the keys in the side pocket, so feel free to drive it when I’m gone.” Shiro smirked, throwing his arm around Keith. “But if you crash it I swear I’m going to kill you when I get back.” Keith couldn’t help but laugh, enjoying the warmth of Shiro’s arm around him._

Keith adjusted the gloves on his hands as he sneaked down the hall. He hadn’t meant to fall asleep at the shack, but when he came to it was already late in the morning. So long as he could avoid Iverson, the other teachers probably wouldn’t mind. “Cadet, you missed role call last night.” As if summoned, the loud, berating voice of Iverson roared behind him, jolting Keith upright. “You always were a trouble-maker, I thought Shirogane would be able to straighten you out. But I guess the moment he’s gone you go right back to causing trouble.” Keith felt the blood rush to his head, fighting the urge to retort back. 

_“Keith, you’re the only one who decides what you do in life.” Shiro’s voice chimed in._

“No only did you miss role call, you took a hover-bike from the holding deck and left with it. Guess just going AWOL wasn’t enough, you had to go for theft too?” Iverson’s yelling could be heard down the hall as the other students peeked their head from the classrooms.

_“I swear, you’re almost a better driver than me, maybe I should be your co-pilot.” Shiro’s laugh echoed._

“And take off those gloves, Cadet! Those are not Garrison-issued!” 

_“The gloves look good on you, Keith. You look really cool.”_

“I gave you an order, Cadet! Take off the gloves!” 

_“Are you going to miss me Keith?”_

“You think acting out is going to get you some attention!? Just because Shiro wasted his time with you doesn’t mean anyone else has the luxury!”

_“I promise I’ll come back, Keith. Just wait for me.”_

“Shiro isn’t coming back, so man up and get your-” Keith punched him with all his strength, hitting him directly in the eye, sending Iverson flying back into the wall. His painful scream echoed as Keith realized what he had done. Teachers frantically rushed over, as Keith dodged them, running down the hall. He had to get out of here. Keith felt his eyes fill with tears, as he darted back to the holding deck. He was leaving, for good this time. He lost his place here when he lost Shiro. Driving out into the open desert, Keith let out a sorrowful wail to the open sky. Shiro was gone, and he wasn’t coming back. 

The next year passed quietly, as Keith let his mind drift. The solitude of his life was comforting, as Keith spent his days wandering the caves in the desert. The cave markings were strange, somehow drawing Keith in. Thinking about the paintings was easier than thinking about Shiro, so Keith let himself fall deeper into studying them. They all talked about the same thing, some kind of lion, some major event, but he never could piece it all together. Keith stared blankly at the map he had drawn, marking the locations of the various drawings he had discovered with notes on what was where. 

Suddenly, the room lit up with a bright, unnatural light. Keith turned, as a large space ship fell into the desert a few miles away. Keith’s heart raced with excitement, grabbing the hover-bike keys and speeding towards the crash sight. After setting off the diversionary explosives, Keith darted into the examination tent the Garrison had set up. Only three scientists remained behind, and were quickly knocked out. Keith ran to the side of the crash survivor, reaching for his face. Keith’s heart stopped. It couldn’t be true. His hair had a new patch of white, and his face was marred by a large scar, but it was definitely him.

_“...Shiro?”_


End file.
